Guests kicked out, employees fired after resort abruptly closes

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    KISSIMMEE, Florida (WESH) — After spending hundreds to get a room at a Central Florida resort during spring break, guests were abruptly kicked out Thursday.

The hotel had been sold and, without any warning or full refunds, the building had to be cleared out.

“We don’t really know what we’re going to do,” Victoria Oquendo said.

Oquendo and her family flew to Central Florida from Rhode Island for what was supposed to be a two-week relaxing vacation.

“You know with COVID it’s been tough. So we’re trying to have a good time,” Oquendo said.

The family booked their stay at Champions World Resort in Kissimmee. Oquendo said the vacation was going great until Thursday.

“Havoc just broke loose. Everyone just started coming outside. Everyone’s packing their bags and stuff,” Oquendo said.

Oquendo says, without warning, hotel employees started going door-to-door telling residents they had just hours to pack up and get off the property because the hotel was shutting down.

“She was like ‘you guys have to pack your stuff and leave.’ She says ‘you guys have until four o’clock. The property has sold,'” Oquendo said.

The hotel’s website posted a message confirming the hotel had been sold. Hours later, the whole website was shutdown.

Oquendo says a hotel employee told her not only were guests being kicked out but all the employees had been fired too.

“The manager said he’s been working for 18 years in management and he’s never heard of such a thing happening,” Oquendo said.

WESH 2 News also spoke with a man who just arrived around the same time we got to the hotel. He said he had to drive to the resort all the way from Indiana and didn’t know that the hotel had been closed until he went to check-in.

“They didn’t give notice or anything. That’s not right,” Oquendo said.

Oquendo says the hotel was booked to capacity. Now, she and hundreds of other families have to find someplace else to stay during the peak of spring break travel.

“I’ve called bunches of hotels and they’ve said we’re sorry we’re booked,” Oquendo said.

WESH 2 News reached out to Champions World Resort for comment but have not yet gotten a response.

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